High Output Gas Burner, Such As For A Food Cooking Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A high output gas burner such as for a food cooking appliance is disclosed. The gas burner is adapted to combust a mixture of gas and air. The gas burner has a cross ring having a plurality of radially spaced channels and a plurality of axially spaced channels. The radially spaced channels and the axially spaced channels are adapted to guide the air to be combusted with the gas. The radially spaced channels have a diameter of the order of 10 mm and the axially spaced channels have a diameter of the order of 8 mm.

BACKGROUND

Gas burners, such as for residential and/or commercial food cooking appliances, are well known. Such burners may burn natural gas or LP (liquid petroleum) gas, operating at various altitudes, ranging from sea level to mountainous areas. Such gas burners may be subject to certain governmental, or other, operating regulations, such a minimum efficiency requirement, not to exceed NOX and CO levels, time to boil requirements, ignition test requirements and cloth ignition test requirements.

Designing a gas burner to operate within such governmental requirements may limit the permissible heat output, often measured in BTU's, of the gas burner. For example, one such prior art gas burner described herein, had a heat output limitation of the order of 18,000 BTU's.

The present invention is provided to address this and other problems.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas burner having an increased heat output, such as in a preferred embodiment, of the order of 25,000 BTU's, while still operating within relevant operating regulations.

This and other objectives and advantages may become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a prior art gas burner, such as for a residential and/or commercial food cooking appliance;

FIG. 2 includes views of an inner burner base of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 includes views of a cross ring, or upper burner base, of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 includes views of an inner burner head of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 includes views of a mixing tube of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 includes views of a gas jet of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 7 includes views of a venturi tube of the prior art gas burner of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a gas burner, such as for a residential and/or commercial food cooking appliance, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 includes views of an inner burner base of the gas burner of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 includes views of a cross ring, or upper burner base, of the gas burner of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 11 includes views of an inner burner head of the gas burner of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 12 includes views of a mixing tube of the gas burner of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 13 includes views of a gas jet of the gas burner of FIG. 8 ; and

FIG. 14 includes views of a venturi tube of the gas burner of FIG. 8 .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there will be described herein in detail, a specific embodiment thereof, with an understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.

A prior art gas burner, and certain components thereof, are shown in FIGS. 1-7 .

One embodiment of a gas burner as modified in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in FIGS. 8-14 . The modified gas burner may have an increased heat output, of the order of 25,000 BTU's, while still operating within relevant operating regulations.

Both the prior art gas burner and the modified gas burner include a cross ring, also referred to as an upper burner base. A prior art cross ring 20 is illustrated in FIG. 3 , and a modified cross ring 20′ in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 10 . Each of these cross rings 20, 20′ may include twelve radially oriented, spaced air channels. The radially oriented, spaced air channels of the prior art cross ring are identified in FIG. 3 with reference number 22, and the radially oriented, spaced air channels of the modified cross ring 20′ are identified in FIG. 10 with reference number 22′. Each of these cross rings 20, 20′ may also include twelve axially oriented, spaced air channels. The axially oriented, spaced air channels of the prior art cross ring 20 are identified in FIG. 3 with reference number 24, and the axially oriented, spaced air channels of the modified cross ring 20′ are identified in FIG. 10 with reference number 24′. As is known, these air channels guide air to be combusted with the gas.

It has been found that performance of the gas burner may be improved by increasing the diameter of the radially spaced channels of the cross ring and decreasing the diameter of the axially spaced channels of the cross ring. Specifically, in accordance with the present invention, the diameter of the radially spaced channels may be increased, such as from 8 mm of the prior art cross ring 20 to 10 mm of the modified cross ring 20′, and the diameter of the axially spaced channels may be decreased, such as from 10 mm of the prior art cross ring 20 to 8 mm of the modified cross ring 20′. See in particular, FIGS. 3 (prior art) and 10.

With the modifications made to the cross ring, gas flow may be increased, to increase the heat output of the gas burner, by enlarging the gas jet opening, while still operating the gas burner within the operating regulations. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6 (prior art gas jet opening 26) and FIG. 13 (present embodiment gas jet opening 26′), the gas jet opening may be enlarged, such as from 1.9 mm of the prior art to 2.2 mm, for the disclosed embodiment of the present invention, when burning natural gas. Similarly, the gas jet opening may be enlarged, such as from 1.25 mm to 1.51 mm, when burning LP gas.

Other modifications may also be made. For example, referring to the inner burner head shown in FIG. 4 (prior art) and FIG. 11 , the diameter of the horizontally oriented radial openings may be enlarged, such as from 1.2 mm (FIG. 4 , reference number 28) to 1.6 mm (FIG. 11 , reference number 28′), and the diameter of the radial openings canted 20° from the horizontal may be enlarged, such as from 1.7 mm (FIG. 4 , reference number 30) to 1.8 mm (FIG. 4 , reference number 30′). These changes have been found to make the flame more stable.

Referring to FIGS. 2 (prior art) and FIG. 9 , the diameter of the upper portion of the burner base may be modified to fit into the associated inner burner head.

Referring to FIG. 5 (prior art) and FIG. 12 , the diameter of the mixing tube may be increased, such as from 20 mm (FIG. 5 , reference number 34) to 25 mm (FIG. 12 , reference number 34′).

Referring to FIG. 7 (prior art) and FIG. 14 , the diameter of the inlet and outlet of the venturi tube may be increased, to accept a greater gas input (the inlet) and to fit the enlarged diameter of the mixing tube (the outlet).

It is to be understood that this disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to any particular form described herein, but to the contrary, the invention is intended to include all modifications, alternatives and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

We claim:
 1. A gas burner such as for a food cooking appliance, the gas burner adapted to combust a mixture of gas and air, the gas burner having a cross ring having a plurality of radially spaced channels and a plurality of axially spaced channels, the radially spaced channels and the axially spaced channels adapted to guide the air to be combusted with the gas, wherein: the radially spaced channels have a diameter of the order of 10 mm; and the axially spaced channels have a diameter of the order of 8 mm.
 2. The gas burner of claim 1, wherein the cross ring includes twelve radially spaced channels.
 3. The gas burner of claim 1, wherein the cross ring includes twelve axially spaced channels.
 4. The gas burner of claim 1, wherein the cross ring includes: twelve radially spaced channels; and twelve axially spaced channels.
 5. The gas burner of claim 4, wherein the cross ring includes; only twelve radially spaced channels; and only twelve axially spaced channels.
 6. The gas burner of claim 1, including a gas jet having a gas jet opening, wherein: the gas burner is adapted to burn natural gas; and the gas jet opening is of the order of 1.25 mm.
 7. The gas burner of claim 1, including a gas jet having a gas jet opening, wherein: the gas burner is adapted to burn LP gas; and the gas jet opening is of the order of 1.51 mm.
 8. The gas burner of claim 1, including an inner burner head having a plurality of generally horizontally oriented radial openings and a plurality of canted radial openings canted at a non-zero angle relative to the horizontal, wherein: the plurality of generally horizontally oriented radial openings has a diameter of the order of 1.6 mm; and plurality of canted radial openings has a diameter of the order of 1.8 mm. 